


Adjustments

by yurawiththegoodhair



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Drama & Romance, Established Relationship, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Happy, Lost Love, Reunions, Romance, Tears
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-14
Updated: 2020-08-28
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:34:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,144
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25901386
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yurawiththegoodhair/pseuds/yurawiththegoodhair
Summary: The well has opened one final time, but it’s Inuyasha who has a one way ticket to spend his life with Kagome in her world. Journey with them as they adjust to their lives in the 21st century and with each other.
Relationships: Higurashi Kagome/InuYasha
Comments: 59
Kudos: 98





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! This will be my first full-length foray into Inuyasha fanfiction. I'm not 100% sure how long it will be. I just know where it starts and ends, and we'll see what happens in the middle! My goal is to update weekly, which gives me enough time that I can procrastinate a little bit, but not be too disappointing xD This will be an eventual lemon, so it's been rated accordingly. Anyway thank you for reading, and I hope you'll let me know what you think <3

Kagome sighed as she reached the top step of the shrine, her diploma still clutched in her hands, a bittersweet feeling she was all too familiar with settling into her chest.

She was eternally glad to be finished with high school, but the distractio n it provided over the past three years had been welcome. So much so that she’d managed to finish near the top of her class, and get a scholarship to Tokyo University to study history.

But she was planning on taking a break through September, somehow convincing the university to hold her spot until after the summer semester, because she needed to regroup and rest. Maybe even find some part of herself that was missing when she wasn’t surrounded by calculus and English homework. 

Of course, she knew she was fooling herself with that. There was a part of her she would never find again. A part of her that ran around with a sword and protected people from demons and had the most adorable dog ears on his head. A part of her that was named Inuyasha.

His name wasn't said aloud much since she’d been back. Something she assumed was her mother’s doing after seeing the painful look on Kagome’s face when Sota would mention him in passing. And she was silently grateful for it. 

She hadn’t been ready to talk, still wasn’t really. Partly because of the pain that seared her chest, and part in the hope that maybe, just maybe she’d get to see him again, if she kept him locked away in the recesses of her soul where no one could touch what they had.

The referendum on not speaking his name didn’t apply to her nights though, where she often still cried. It was the one time she let herself really, truly feel. Away from the prying and pitiful looks her mother and her closest friends often gave her.

She had taken solace in them, as much as she could allow herself, on numerous occasions, especially with her mother in those early days when the world felt like it would stop spinning at any moment. 

It hadn’t though, and life moved on. 

She had too, in her own way. She laughed and smiled and still felt so much joy. But it was all tinged with a sadness, that she could never really shake, that he wasn’t there to share it all with her.

She sighed, coming out of her thoughts to help her mother usher her grandfather inside for afternoon tea. When she had him settled and had placed the kettle on the stove, she turned to her mother.

“I think I’m going to go out to the tree for a bit,” she said trying to keep her voice light.

Her mother gave her a knowing look. “Alright, dear. I’ll come get you when it’s time for dinner.”

Kagome nodded, and opened the shoji that lead out to the main grounds of the shrine and the Goshinboku. 

It was one of the only places she found peace from the constant buzzing in her head. She’d once reached him across time through the tree, and she’d tried it again so many times since the well had closed, only to pound the bark in frustration when her calls were never answered. 

But despite all that, she still felt closest to him there. As close as one could feel across five hundred years.

Before she could bend down to put on her shoes, however, something caught her eye that made her stop in her tracks.

She wasn’t surprised to see him standing there, having imagined him on a daily basis over the past three years, a sad smile curling her lips, as she wondered for the millionth time what he’d think of her now. 

But she wasn’t expecting the gasp her mother made as the older Higurashi came to stand beside her, wo ndering what had caused her daughter to stop so suddenly in the genken.

Kagome took i n shallow breaths, as she continued to stare at the specter in front of her. He looked just as she remembered. Strong and tall and beautiful with his silver hair blowing gently in the breeze, Tessaiga still carried proudly on his left hip. 

But in all of the visions she’d had of him since the well had closed, he’d never looked so... _ real _ . Never looked as if she could run to him and be swallowed in the circle of his arms.

“Mama?” Kagome whispered, reaching her empty hand out to clutch at her mother’s wrist beside her.

“Kagome?” she breathed in response, and Kagome’s heart leapt in hope at the unbelief in her mother’s voice.

“Do you…” she started, finding it more difficult to speak with each passing word. “Do you see him, too?”

“Inuyasha,” her mother said, voice clear and sure, now, and Kagome had to remember to breathe when the vision in front of her twitched his ear at the sound of his name. 

_ I _ _ nuyasha _

Kagome felt her legs begi n to move involuntarily, her socked feet doing little to protect her from the rocks she was stepping on, but she paid them no mind, as her entire being was focused on him, her mother completely forgotten.

_ Inuyasha _

Step after step brought her closer, but it felt like an ocean stood between them, and he had yet to move, an unreadable expression on his handsome face. 

She'd once been able to read all of his expressions, but this one escaped her, and it was frustrating. 

When she finally got close enough to him that she had to crane her neck back to look at him, she reached a tentative hand up to touch the skin of his cheek. 

It was so soft. She’d forgotten how soft his skin was. 

She heard his breath audibly hitch at her touch, his eyes closing as he leaned into her fingers. 

“ _ Kagome _ ,” he breathed, a nd she swore her heart stopped at the sound of her name on his lips. 

A thousand thoughts flew through her head, all of them equally important. How much she loved him. How desperately she’d missed him. How stupid he was for making her wait so long. What he’d been doing all this time. But there was only one word that would form.

“How?” she asked, her own voice sounding foreign to her ears, as she started to move her hand from his face, but he reached up with his own to keep it there, her whole body responding to his touch.

Inuyasha shook his head. “I don’t know.”

Nothing made sense, and yet, everything did in that moment. 

“But you’re really here?” she asked, unable to keep her voice from breaking.

He looked around, taking in the shrine around them, and she wondered if he was having a difficult time believing it himself. 

“I’m here.”

“And you’re real?”

He let out a breath, and she could have sworn he looked slightly annoyed at her questions. “Is that really what you want to ask me right now?”

“Are you real?” she asked again, voice strong and demanding, while her hands shook as she balled them into fists, brown eyes locked onto his, refusing to move away.

His shoulders dropped, and she wondered if he sensed how close she was to breaking. “Yes, I’m real.”

The confirmation was all she needed. 

She launched herself into his arms, completely unable to any level of separation from him any longer, and to his credit, he didn’t even stumble, simply catching her and holding on to her just as tightly as she was to him.

And the dam burst.

Kagome clung to him, huge, heaving sobs wracking her body as her knees gave out, and she dragged them both to the ground. 

She could feel the gravel poking into her legs, and she was grateful for the pain that grounded her, because without it, she wasn’t sure she would believe that any of this was happening **.**

Inuyasha was trying to pull back from her, but she wouldn’t allow it, only clinging harder to him in response.

“Kagome,” he said, and through the haze of her crying she noticed his voice sounded shaky. “Don’t-”

“D-don’t you dare tell me not to cry!” she yelled more forcefully than she’d intended. 

She’d almost forgotten how frustrating he could be, the years softening the habits he had that occasionally made her want to strangle him.

But he finally managed to pull her away from his chest, and it was only then that she noticed the twin tracks down his cheeks. “I wasn’t going to,” he said, eyes searching hers. “I just...needed to look at you. Please.”

She laughed a little at the absurdity of it all, swipi ng at her face to stem the flow of tears , glad to see the smile o n his face meant he understood she wasn’t laughing at his need. 

How could she, when her need to see him was just as strong. So much so, that her entire body was vibrating with it?

She reached her hands up to hold his face again, wiping at his own tears that gathered in the corners of his eyes with her thumbs. “Did the well...how did you…?”

“I don’t know,” he said, pulling her back into his arms and engulfing her. “I don’t think I can go back, though.”

Kagome pushed at his chest, trying to get him to loosen his grip so she could see his face. She gave him a horrified look that seemed to catch him completely off guard, but he shook his head, quickly catching on to her line of thinking and doing his best to put a stop to it. 

“Don’t you know by now I’d follow you anywhere? I’m supposed to be where you are,” he said resolutely, and the sincerity in his voice broke her.

She wasn’t sure how long they stayed there, kneeling together, holding each other while she cried a small portion of the sorrow out she’d felt because of their separation and an equal part of joy now that he was  _ here _ . 

_ Inuyasha was  _ here _. _

It could have been only minutes or it could have been hours. Nothing else mattered but him in that moment. 

She’d only ever imagined what their reunion might be like in the darkest part of the night, when sleep was elusive, and nothing else would soothe her. There were hugs, and he’d kiss her breathless while a few tears slipped from her eyes, but nothing she had thought of even came close to the real thing. 

This was messy. With sobs and clinging and pain that threatened to claw its way from her chest, begging for a release she could finally provide. But it was real. 

And Inuyasha clung to her just as tightly, letting her know just how much this meant to him, too.

“Inuyasha!” an excited Sota cried from across the yard, and Kagome let out a frustrated huff, turning her head to yell at her younger brother for interrupting, but the unbridled joy on his face stopped her.

She wasn’t the only one who had missed him, it would seem. Though her grief kept her from seeing it, until now.

Her mother came out, and dragged the younger boy inside, shooting Kagome an apologetic look that seemed to scream, ‘I’m sorry, I tried to stop him.’ 

Kagome giggled, and she could feel Inuyasha’s chest shake a bit too. Apparently, happiness was catching, today.

“Dinner will be ready soon,” her mother called with a smile. “I assume you’ll be staying, Inuyasha?”

Staying. That sounded...wonderful.

He looked at Kagome with questioning eyes, and she nodded reassuringly, truly smiling for the first time in what felt like ages. 

“Y-yes. If you’ll have me,” he responded, finally standing once again and dragging Kagome up with him. 

The matriarch smiled almost as brilliantly as her daughter, nodding wordlessly, before turning to go back inside.

Kagome and Inuyasha stood looking at one another for a long minute, and he wore an expression she was sure mirrored her own. One that seemed to ask, ‘what now?’

She didn’t have an answer, but she knew they’d figure it out together. They always did. 

Reaching out her hand to him, he smiled that little half smile that had been her undoing since the beginning, and he took it, lacing his fingers through hers while they walked into the house. 

  
  
  



	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, thank you all SO much for your response and kudos and comments on the first chapter! It meant the world to me, and I can't tell you how much I appreciate it <3 Hope you enjoy this next chapter just as much, and let me know what you think!

“You’re sure about this?” Kagome asked, her eyes skeptical as her mother ha nded her the extra bedding from the closet.

Mama gave her an almost exasperated look. “You two have been separated for years. I’m not going to contribute to it any more than what’s absolutely necessary.”   


Kagome nodded her head, and bit her lip in an effort to keep her tears at bay. What she had ever done to deserve having this woman as her mother, she’d never understand.

Her mother had sent her off to the Feudal Era on countless occasions with a smile. Never once questioning Kagome’s choices or why her presence was so needed there. She really shouldn’t have been surprised when her mother insisted Inuyasha stay with her in her room.

“And besides,” Mama went on with a sly smile, “if we put Inuyasha in Sota’s room, I’m fairly certain he’d just wait until Sota was asleep and then sneak out to you.”

Kagome giggled, knowing full well it was true. When they were traveling together, she would often wake up to find him right next to her, even when she knew full well he hadn’t been there when she fell asleep.

Her mother reached out and gently stroked her cheek. “You’ve both been through so much,” she said quietly, her voice sad. 

Movement from the doorway of her room caught Kagome’s eye, and she smiled at the sight of Inuyasha standing there as casually as he could, examining the wood pattern on the frame as he pretended not to be paying attention to them.

“I think someone is waiting for you,” Mama said with a loving pat on her cheek. 

“Thank you, Mama.” Kagome turned and walked toward her room, where the bedding was taken from her hands the minute Inuyasha was in reach.

“Inuyasha, dear,” Mama called from down the hallway, and Kagome giggled lightly at the way his ears perked up at the mention of his name. “We’ll all go shopping for some clothes and things for you tomorrow, alright?”

He nodded wordlessly, some unnamed emotion floating in the amber of his eyes.

“Goodnight, dears,” Mama said, walking towards the opposite end of the hall towards her bedroom.

“Night, Mama,” Kagome called after her, a sudden nervousness fluttering in her chest at the fact that she was now alone with Inuyasha.

She turned to face him, finding that he was staring at her intently, causing them both to blush and look away. 

Why was this so weird? It shouldn’t be! They had faced literal demons more terrifying than this. But time was a demon they couldn’t defeat, and three years seemed to lay between them like a chasm.

“Do you want something to change into?” she asked, trying to break the tension, realizing he was still wearing his full garb. “I could see if we have a bathrobe or something.”

“No, I’ll be fine,” he replied, not meeting her eyes. He walked into the room, spreading the mat out on the floor and placed his sword gently against her desk.

“Um, I...guess we should go to bed?” she suggested, walking into the room to sit on the edge of the bed, noticing the pink in his cheeks return as he appeared to take in the expanse of her legs that were exposed in her sleep shorts.

“Right,” he said, diverting his gaze, and laying down the mat, as Kagome rose again momentarily to turn off the light that plunged the room into darkness save for the small nightlight she’d purchased three years before.

Once she was back in the safety of her bed, her covers acting as a shield to the world around her, she felt an emptiness creep into her chest. One she didn’t like at all considering the answer for it was a meter away from her.

“Are you going to sleep down there?” she asked as she watched him lay awkwardly on the mat, apparently trying to find some semblance of comfort.

“Where else would I sleep?” he asked, and she could see his confused eyes in the dark, lit by the street lights outside her window.

“W-well, I just thought...I dunno, maybe you’d...” she fumbled with her words, picking at nonexistent lint on her blanket. “Want to lay up here with me.”

“With you?” he asked, and Kagome could sense the fright in his voice. “You want me to... _ lay _ with you?”

She could make out his blush from her perch on the bed, and the double meaning dawned on her. She scrambled to cover her tracks. “No! Not...not like that!” 

His face went from terrified to disappointed. 

“I mean, I do want that! Eventually!” she replied quickly, wanting nothing more than to smooth the lines on his face, grateful she could focus on that instead of the words she’d just let slip from her mouth. 

_ Of course, _ she wanted him. But she’d just gotten him back and honestly, what she needed the most right now, was-

“I just…” she started, cursing whatever was making her hesitant. They never used to be like this. She’d never held back before, and she didn’t want to now. “I just kinda wanted to be held is all.”

A heavy silence settled over them, and Kagome was considering the likelihood of her making an escape to the bathroom to die of embarrassment, when he quietly rose from his spot on the floor and moved towards the bed.

Inuyasha crawled next to her, and she scooted against the wall to make room. He removed his fire rat, and paced it securely around her shoulders, pulling her in with its fabric so that she laid on his chest before he lowered them to the softness of the bed.

Kagome sighed in complete contentment, all the tension leaving her muscles as a clawed hand made its way into her hair and began to gently massage her scalp.

She hummed her approval, and he seemed to clutch her closer, his nose now buried in her hair as he breathed her in.

“God, Kagome,” he whispered. “I missed you so much.”

Tears stu ng in the corners of her eyes at his admission. Of course, logically, she’d known he’d missed her. She knew the depth of their connection, and it had never been one-sided, no matter how many demons or undead priestesses tried to tear them apart. 

But knowing and hearing the words slip off his tongue were completely different. And the ache in her soul eased to the point where she felt she could breathe freely in a way she hadn’t been able to since he disappeared. 

This was home. Here in his arms. It had been from the moment he’d scooped her up and carried her to safety, though she hadn’t known it at the time. She’d stupidly tried to fight the feelings that gave her the sweetest butterflies everytime he so much as said her name, until eventually the tug of the thread that inexplicably and wonderfully bound them became too much to ignore.

“I missed you, too,” she breathed, her voice unsteady with emotion, the tears finally breaking free to trail down her cheeks. 

But instead of scolding her for crying as he used to, Inuyasha gently wiped them away with the pads of his fingers, careful not to accidentally scratch her with his claws.

The change in him confused her, until she realized that of course he had changed since they’d parted. It was inevitable the more time he spent with their friends and the villagers started to look to him as a leader and protector. 

She hadn’t been there for any of it, though. Didn’t get to watch him grow even more than he already had during the time they’d spent together. And it stung. The knowledge that she’d missed so much.

A sob left her and she cried harder, apparently startling him. “What’s wrong?” he asked, concern laced in every syllable. 

She could just make out the stunning gold of his eyes through the haze of her tears, and she focused on them, trying her best to ground herself and to believe that all that mattered was that he was here and the rest would come with time.

Sniffling and shaking her head, she did her best to reassure him. “I’m ok, I just need you.”

She wasn’t sure who leaned in first. I could have been either of them, or both at once. But suddenly her entire world was consumed with the press of his lips against hers. All of her senses were flooded with  _ him _ .

Their kisses grew hungry, almost desperate in their need to get closer and taste more. Kagome couldn’t help the almost deprived whine that left her throat, and as much as she knew she should be embarrassed by it, no part of her cared. 

He sucked on her bottom lip, and a small gasp left her at the dizzying sensation crawling up her spine before it settled in her belly, and when his tongue slipped inside, she was certain she completely forgot how to breathe.

She grew bolder, reaching out to stroke his tongue with her own, dipping it to trace the inside of his lower lip, eliciting a moan from him that shot straight to the core of her, and she knew if she didn’t pull back soon, they would be completely lost.

A part of her desperately wanted to keep going, to find out in the most intimate of ways just exactly how much he loved her. But another part knew they had deep, emotional wounds to work through together, not to mention a brand new world to navigate. 

They would get there eventually, she knew with certainty. Inuyasha was it for her. There was no one else, there never could be. And she wanted to savor every bit of this new life with him. A life that only twelve hours ago, she never thought she could have.

So, she eased them back to simple brushes of the lips, placing her forehead against his, eyes closed as she tried to steady her breathing. She was endlessly pleased to feel the heaving of his own chest, allowing the overwhelming love she had for him permeate every part of her being. 

The contentment she felt now seemed such a stark contrast to the darkness of her earlier turmoil, but he’d always had that effect on her. Had always been able to calm her as easily as he’d been able to rile her up. 

No one else could draw such a range of intense emotions from her. Inuyasha made her  _ feel _ . The highs, the lows, and everything in between. And until she was wrapped in his arms again while he pressed a soft kiss to her forehead, she hadn’t realized just how numb she’d become in his absence. 

They laid together for an indeterminable amount of time, neither one having a need for speech. And when the call of sleep finally became too much for her human form to resist, Kagome slipped into slumber, looking forward to everything tomorrow had to offer.

  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know, the SAP xD. I promise they won't all be like this, but I do think it's important to kind of explore the trauma they would have from being separated, not to mention everything that happened before that, as well. And next time will be fun shopping time with the Higurashis, so something to look forward to, I hope? Oh, and I will FIGHT anyone who thinks Mama Higurashi wouldn't insist they not be separated at night. FIIIIIGHT.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to another installment of Sap Fest 2020. Thank you all so, so much for your comments and encouragements! I'm not a new writer, but I am new to writing in this fandom, so every kudos, comment and review means the world. I hope you enjoy this new chapter, and please let me know what you think!
> 
> PS, just as a note, this takes place in the present day with smart phones and such, because I don't want to try to remember what life was like back in 2003 xD

I nuyasha sighed in satisfaction as Kagome’s fingers ran through his hair, inadvertently massaging his scalp, while gathering the mass of strands into a bun on the back of his head, securing it with some kind of hair tie he was unfamiliar with.

He was surprised at how easy it felt to be here with her. He’d woken up that morning to her snuggled securely against his chest, his fire rat still wrapped around her shoulders as she slept on, completely oblivious to the world around her, while he wasn’t even sure when he’d fallen asleep.

He’d always had a complicated relationship with sleep. It left him vulnerable to a world that wanted him gone, and though he didn’t need as much as a normal human, if he didn’t rest at least occasionally, he was useless in defending himself. So, he’d taken to the trees anytime it was completely necessary to shut his eyes for a while.

It was only when he met Kagome that Inuyasha finally allowed himself to relax a bit, allowing himself a few hours every so often once she and their friends were all asleep. But last night, he hadn’t even fought the urge, simply giving in since he was surrounded by her scent and the pleasant weight of her body against his.

The last time he’d slept that easily had been years ago, when he’d been in nearly the exact same spot, watching her impatiently as she did homework. He hadn’t even realized how tired he was until he woke up the next morning curled up on her bed, Kagome sleeping propped up with her head pillowed by her hands on the edge of the bed.

He felt safe with her. That was what it boiled down to. And he could easily get used to the idea of maybe getting some sleep every night, if he felt as good as he did now on a full night’s sleep.

It was almost enough to make him forget about the things he disliked about Kagome’s world. Until  she brought out a cap to cover his ears.

He grimaced, and she smiled in understanding. “I’m sorry. Gramps is going to work on finding something we can do to conceal your ears to anyone who doesn’t know about them, but until then, we still have to hide them.”

“Fine,” he grumbled, trying his best to hold still as she maneuvered his hair through the hole in the back of the cap, his ears flattened against his head as they would be for what he assumed was the next few hours.

“There,” Kagome said, standing back with a smile, admiring her work. “You look perfect.”

He raised a brow at her, skeptically wondering what about him could ever be perfect, before she led him over to look in the mirror.

Mama had borrowed some clothes for him from their neighbor, who apparently had a son similar in size to Inuyasha, and he was impressed that he looked like many of the men he’d seen the other times he’d been out into the city before, wearing something Kagome had told him were called sweatpants and a t-shirt. 

They were very comfortable, the material soft against his skin. The pants stretched around his waist, tapering the further down his legs they went to close at the ankle, and the black t-shirt hugged his arms and chest in a way that should have been confining, but that he found he didn't mind at all.

“Is this how I’ll always dress?” he asked, turning away from the mirror.

She smiled warmly in a way that made him feel that everything was right in the world. “Not always, this is pretty casual, but we’ll buy you a bunch of different things today.”

Inuyasha wasn’t really sure he knew what she meant by casual, but that was going to be his life for awhile, he supposed. Not understanding her world wasn’t exactly a new thing for him.

“Don’t worry,” she said, and he realized his face must have been giving away his thoughts. “We’re in this together.”

He nodded and did his best to smile, and she grabbed his hand, threading her fingers through his, before she bounced up on her toes to kiss him.

There was no hesitance in her choice, and he was grateful for it, especially after she’d seemed so timid with him the night before. He didn’t want her to hold back. That wasn’t his Kagome. She never withheld herself from him. And as her lips moved against his, he pulled her flush against his chest, letting go of her hand, as his right arm gripped around her waist and his left went up to cradle her face.

It was impossible not to get lost in her. He had been so long without the other half of his soul, Inuyasha found himself surrendering to her completely. He would have been content to stay like this all day, exploring her mouth and drinking in her taste and the addicting sounds she made.

“Oi, gross! It’s too early for that, you two!” Sota cried from the doorway. Some things never changed it seemed.

Kagome didn’t jump back from Inuyasha like she had when a very similar event had played out before. Instead, she pulled away slightly so she could glare at her brother, but she remained in his arms, and he wasn’t about to let her go if she didn’t want it. He’d spent three years without her. He was done pulling away.

“Don’t you have other things you could be ruining, right now?”

Sota smiled smugly. “Nope, mom said it’s time to go, so come on.”

Kagome did move then, her hand reaching for his again, and he was glad to keep some contact with her. “I still don’t see why she invited you along. I think we could have managed without you.”

“You don’t get to hog Inuyasha to yourself all the time,” he countered as they all moved into the hall and down the stairs towards the door where Mama was waiting for them.

“We’ll see about that,” Kagome mumbled, and Inuyasha had to smile. She was as determined as ever. 

“Inuyasha, dear, I have some shoes for you,” Mama said with her signature warm smile, holding up a pair of what he assumed were modern shoes. “I’m not sure how well they’ll fit you, but that’ll be one of our first stops so we can find you some comfortable ones.”

He didn’t want to seem ungrateful. All of them were going out of their way to make him feel at home, and were genuinely excited that he was there, he could feel it and had no doubt. But he hated shoes with a passion, and these looked worse than anything the feudal era had to offer. Confining and hot and probably itchy.

Kagome swooped in to save him as he floundered for what to say, reaching out to take the shoes from her mother before leading him to sit down in the genkan so she could help him put them on. 

“You won’t have to wear them all the time,” she said softly in what he knew to be her placating tone. “Just when we go outside the shrine. And I promise we’ll find you some comfortable ones you like.”

He looked into her warm, brown eyes and felt an immense gratitude towards the woman sitting next to him. No matter how much he got overwhelmed, she would anchor him. She would make it ok. Even if that meant he had to wear shoes. 

When they all finally made it out the door, Inuyasha feeling like a fish trying to walk on land in the shoes he donned, they headed towards the metro station. He instinctively reached out for Kagome’s hand, and she smiled at him, squeezing comfortingly, while they walked down the street.

“Have you ever ridden on the train, Inuyasha?” Sota asked, turning his head back towards them from where he walked with his mother.

Kagome giggled. “He’s never ridden  _ inside _ the train, no.”

Inuyasha had the grace to blush, remembering a few times he’d hopped across the tops of the train contraptions to get Kagome somewhere quickly. 

He wondered briefly how long it would be before he stopped having so many novel experiences in this world

Before he could process much of what was happening they were descending the countless steps into the depths of the metro station, and Mama was handing him some green and gray card with a strange looking bird on it that she said would help him get on the train. 

“It’s a Suica card,” Kagome further explained, as they walked up to what she called a turnstile. “You place it over this little reader, and once it’s good to go, the little flaps in front of you open, and you walk through.”

She placed her card down, and did just as she told him, walking through the gate, and pausing to wait for him to do the same.

He nervously stepped forward and let the machine read his card, jumping slightly when the flaps opened to let him through to where his newly cemented family was waiting. 

“See? You’re doing great already,” Kagome said, and he blushed under her praise as she took his hand and led him deeper into the underground station.

When they boarded the crowded train, Inuyasha was surprised at how quiet it was, the only noise coming from outside as the train rushed through the tunnel, its occupants swaying with the movement. 

Most people seemed to be completely absorbed in tiny square things they held in their hands that lit up, as they ignored everyone around them. Kagome and her mother had them, too. He’d seen them last night, but he’d yet to figure out exactly what they did. 

He stumbled a bit, the jerking of the car catching him off guard, before Kagome grabbed his loose hand and placed it on the bar next to him. “Use this,” she whispered, and he did feel more stable as he hung on.

Inuyasha decided to focus on Kagome, knowing if he didn’t the world around him would become overwhelming. The comfortability he felt that morning all but gone as his surroundings continually changed to things he didn’t understand. But Kagome? He understood her, just like she understood him. Her smell, her hand over his on the bar, the way her hair fell in front of her face as she dipped her head. 

“This is our stop,” she said quietly as a disembodied voice announced their arrival at a new place, and he nodded, following close behind her as she led him off the train. 

“You’ll do the same thing with your card to exit as you did to enter,” Kagome told him as they neared a new set of card readers, and he felt a nervousness rise up in his chest.

More than anything, he wanted to avoid looking like an idiot. It was one thing to feel like one on the inside, but letting the rest of the world know you actually were one was quite another. 

“You’ll be fine,” she promised and he knew she meant it, giving him the courage to stride forward with some confidence to get through, and when he did, she beamed at him in a way he could absolutely get used to.

He followed the family blindly through the streets of Tokyo, trying his best not to look around too much so he didn’t get lost, but unable to look away at the same time.

The smells and lights and sheer number of people made him long for the quiet forest he’d called his home up until yesterday. Sure, he’d been to this world before, but it was different when you were visiting. He could ignore most of it, knowing it wasn’t forever. Why did he think he could ever get used to this?

“You ok?” Kagome asked, looking up at him from her place at his side, and he suddenly remembered. 

She was the reason he could get used to this. Would get used to this. He would do anything for Kagome.

“Yeah,” he replied, and finished in a rare bit of vulnerability, “just a lot to take in.”

Kagome smiled sweetly, and he knew she understood. “I’m here.”

“Should we start here, Kagome?” her mother called from up ahead, and Inuyasha finally noticed they had fallen behind a bit in their conversation.

They had stopped in front of a store with a name he couldn’t make out, though from the strange, headless people in the large windows that wore clothes, he assumed it was some time of clothing store.

“Sure!” Kagome called cheerily, and he was dragged inside. 

“Let’s see,” Mama said, looking around for a starting point. “We’ll need shirts, pants, shoes, underwear, some socks.”

“Should we get some dressier clothes, just in case, too?” Kagome asked.

“Oh, you mean for date nights and such?” her mother responded, a gleam in her eye that Inuyasha had never seen.

“Mama!” Kagome said, blushing. “I didn’t mean for  _ that _ , but I guess you’re right. Maybe a sports jacket or something like that?”

And Inuyasha found himself being pulled in five different directions, Kagome and Mama asking what he thought of this color and this fabric. A strange woman bowing to him before measuring him in any number of places for his pant size, and Sota dragging him to a dressing room to help him try things on.

It took him a few moments to get over the shock of what was happening; amber eyes darting back and forth between everyone that was making such a fuss out of finding him clothes. But eventually, it hit him like a punch to the gut.

All of this was because of him, and he suddenly felt as if he was a massive burden. He knew he had to be, because he wasn’t worth all this trouble. And it was the one thing he’d always sworn to himself he would never become to anyone. 

This was only day one. The excitement of his arrival must have been clouding their thinking, not allowing them to see what they were taking on: a half demon from five hundred years in the past who had no idea about anything. He wasn’t educated. Had no work. His powers meant nothing here. 

He was the definition of a burden.

For the first time since he’d stepped out of the well, yesterday, he’d realized he had been separated from Kagome, and he felt himself starting to panic in the tiny room he was in, where the walls felt like they were going to close in on him at any moment.

“Come on,” Sota said, once he’d help Inuyasha navigate a zipper on the pants he was trying on. “Let’s go show them!”

But Inuyasha stood, frozen, shaking his head, only managing to squeak out one word. “Kagome.”

“She’s just outside,” Sota said, his eyebrows raising in confusion. “All you have to do is step out.”

Again, Inuyasha shook his head. “I need Kagome.”

Sota looked at him strangely, but didn’t say anything else, moving the curtain aside to step out.

Inuyasha tried to calm his breathing. He had defeated some of the most powerful demons the world had seen, but ten minutes in a clothing store had him panicking in a way he hadn’t known he was capable of. 

When Kagome stepped in the room, a concerned look marring her gorgeous features, he reached out, and pulled her to him before she could even ask what was wrong, burying his face into her shoulder as he clutched her to him.

She let him hold onto her, her small hands rubbing his back in a soothing motion, and he found himself steadying, as he always did when she was near. 

“Hey,” she said, pulling back from him slightly to place her forehead against his, knocking the cap he wore slightly askew. “Are you ok?”

Why were the easiest questions the hardest to answer?

“I-I don’t know,” he replied, and her concern only seemed to grow.

“Talk to me,” she pleaded, her teeth worrying her bottom lip as she waited for him to speak.

“I’m so sorry, Kagome.”

“Sorry?” she repeated, confusion evident in her tone. “Sorry for what?”

“All of this,” he said, leaning back from her, his head banging against the wall behind him. “I didn’t know I would be such a burden to you, coming back here. If I had I’d-”

“A burden? You’re not a burden!” she interrupted in a furious whisper, and he easily recognized the flash of anger in her eyes.

“I am!” he refuted, his own frustration growing. “You all are giving up your day for me, spending all this money for me, going out of your way for me, fussing over me, and this is only the first day!” She opened her mouth to cut him off again, but he kept going, “Kagome, I can’t leave. It’s not just me spending a couple of nights, bugging you while you work and eating some ramen before I disappear for a month. You’re stuck with me. All of you are.”

Kagome’s face softened, her hand reaching up to run her thumb over his cheek. “Inuyasha, you think I don’t know what we’re taking on? You think I don’t know how much we’re going to have to overcome? Mama, too?”

He let out a huff. “Are you supposed to be making me feel better?”

She smiled. “No. It won’t be easy. For any of us, but we’re doing it because we love you.”

The emotion in her eyes was too much, and he had to look away. “It’s not that easy.”

“It is.” The resolution in her voice made his breath catch. Her hand pushed his face back to hers. “It is that easy. It will always be that easy. No matter how hard it gets. I love you, and you will never, ever be a burden to me or my family.”

She had always been this stubborn, he knew. It used to be something that drove him absolutely crazy. But now, he was more grateful for it than he could express.

“Kagome…” Inuyasha wished he could repeat her words to her. He loved her. Gods, did he love her. Had since the time she bravely waltzed into his father’s tomb, calling over her shoulder for him to hurry up. But everything was sticking in his throat, and he almost felt ashamed, until she leaned up and kissed his cheek.

“I know,” she said, and he pulled her to him, crushing her in his arms as he tried to convey even a portion of how he felt. 

“Hey,” she said after he’d held her for a long moment. “What do you say we finish up here and go have some ramen for lunch?”

A genuine grin curled at his lips. “Finally, something I understand.”

Kagome giggled, the sound like a balm to his bleeding heart. He knew this probably wasn’t the only time he’d feel this way. Knew emotions were tricky things that had minds of their own. But as long as he was with her, Inuyasha felt like maybe it could be that easy. 


End file.
